McDonald’s Plans to Open Its First Vegetarian Restaurants in India

McDonald’s plans to trade in signature fare like the infamous Big Mac for menu items that are more McVegan friendly, as the chain prepares to unleash a couple of vegetarian restaurants in India sometime net year — the first such eateries of the chain’s kind in history.

Ronald McDonald and his motley foodsters will take their burger-slinging skills to popular Hindu and Sikh stomping grounds in northern India in an attempt to lure in religious Indians with fast food fare that isn’t, well, against their religion.

While McDonald’s already keeps beef and pork products off their menu in India by substituting them with Chicken McNuggets and fish burgers, the new vegetarian menu is said to include things like the McAloo Tikki burger, which is basically a mashed-potato sandwich and the Pizza McPuff, a pastry filled with veggies and cheese.

According to Rajesh Kumar Maini, a spokesperson for the McDonald’s north and east India operations, the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company plans to open two new locations, one in Amritar, the holy locale of the Golden Temple, and the other in Katra in Jammu and Kashmir.

McDonald’s currently has 271 locations in India, which is a crucial market for the restaurant chain to thrive in as it aggressively seeks to increase its sales overseas.